Circle of Life
by Luki Dimension
Summary: The world is an endless cycle, life has and always will exist. Dying in the Iifa tree, Zidane accepts an offer from Necron, not knowing the effect it would have in the years to come... DISCONTINUED DUE TO MY CURRENT LACK OF INTEREST IN FINAL FANTASY
1. Those Who Fail

_Okay, this is really just a teaser for an idea that's been running around my head for the past...oh, year or two? In an attempt to get out of doing coursework at Uni, I ended up writing up the first 'chapter'. If I have more time (and a lot more inspiration), I might continue it (need something to get me out of working on my originals ). If I do, this'll be a crossover between 9, 7 (though not as much), 8 and 10. Something that I both dread and look forward too, considering I have very little faith in my abilities to write anything other than 9 fanfiction._

_Anyway, you know the drill. R&R!

* * *

_

Those Who Fail...

_The world is an endless cycle._

_Life, death, life, death..._

_It is continuous._

_There was no beginning, there is no end_

_Everything will always exist,

* * *

_

'_Where am I?'_

The blonde genome winced as he opened his eyes, finding nothing but endless blackness.

He frowned in confusion, and tried to look around, only to think better of it when his body began screaming from its own pain. He subconsciously curled in on himself, trying to remember what had happened.

Kuja! He had been with Kuja. Watching as the man who could be called his brother left this world. Then those roots had gone crazy.

But now Kuja and the Iifa tree were gone, nowhere to be found in this darkness. To be honest, he was amazed he was still alive; those roots had been pummelling him for some time before he'd eventually been knocked out.

Zidane groaned, wishing he could stand on his own feet and get his bearings. Or at least get some access to an Elixir. Hell, at this time, he'd take an out of date potion!

But wherever he was didn't seem to have a floor, and there wasn't an item to his name. Just blackness that would let him float for eternity, or at least until his injuries took him out.

Part of his mind registered that he must have been brought here by someone, or something. Even the corpse of the Iifa Tree couldn't do this...right?

Deciding it couldn't hurt to find out, he screamed at nothing, begging for an answer.

"HEY! Where am I? What's going on?"

He flung his head round, straining for an answer. When none returned, his head drooped, only to be snapped up again when a voice echoed through the darkness.

"..._I have a proposition for you..."_

The Genome twirled round, looking for the owner.

"Who are you!"

"_You already know me...Zidane."_

In front of the thief, the darkness shimmered, revealing Necron, who had somehow shrunk to Zidane's size. He didn't look much better than Zidane.

"You! I thought we killed you!"

"_And in a way, you have"_ Necron replied. _"Without help, I will soon die, and leave this plane of existence forever. Just like you."_

Zidane smirked, his sight starting to blur from his own injuries.

"Well, watching you wither up and die before my eyes wasn't exactly the way I _planned_ to go out, but I'll take what I can get."

"_It does not have to be like this."_

A snort.

"Oh really?"

Necron did his best representation of a nod. _"We are two half dead lives. Together, we would make one full life."_

"...What?"

"_Merge with me Zidane. Give me your life, and I shall give you mine."_

"You must be insane! Why in hell would I do that?"

Necron laughed. _"Why is it always me that must be insane? Why do people get so much joy from calling me that?"_

Zidane, not really understanding the question, didn't answer, and just glared at Necron.

"Why?" he asked. "Why are you offering me this?"

"_...Because I want to live. No...I **need** to live."_

"Kinda hard to hear that from death itself."

"_It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. You must agree now, or it will be too late for either of us. Do you not want to see your precious 'Dagger' again? Your friends, your future? Perhaps your memories will live on, but wouldn't you rather make more before you must leave?"_

"Dagger..."

He barely realised he was doing it, but as Zidane's hand reached out to the image of Necron, the image of death himself shattered, before flowing up Zidane's arm, and wrapping his body in the blue glow of a dead god...

"_Let there be light..."

* * *

_

Zidane opened his eyes, to come face to face with blue sky. Blinking in surprise, he scrambled to his feet, head flying around as he tried to figure out his bearings.

From the gaping caverns in the ground surrounding him, it looked like where the Iifa tree had once stood. The tree in question was nowhere to be found, not that he was really complaining about that.

Solving one mystery, he looked down at his hands, and then the rest of his body. His clothes were still damaged from the fights, nothing but dirt and dried blood holding them together, but there wasn't a mark on him. Not even old scars from earlier fights. And was it just him, or was his hair a little longer?"

"Woah, impressive."

"_What did you expect?'_

"AGGHH!"

Zidane leapt into the air, performing a rather erratic back flip, and searched the area with his eyes before figuring out who the voice belonged to.

"Necron?"

"_Correct."_

"Where ARE you?"

"_I am in your mind" _Necron replied. _"You do not need to yell everything you wish me to hear, but merely 'think' it. It would probably best, unless you want others to be worried about your mental health."_

"Oh goodie" Zidane muttered. "You have a sense of humour."

Despite being unsure if the being was capable of it, Zidane SWORE he felt Necron smirk.

"_Look above you."_

Zidane almost hesitated, before hearing the sound of an airship landing. His grin widened as recognised the design, then frowned.

Necron...

"_Yes?"_

That's the Theatre Ship.

"_And?"_

And last I checked, the Theatre Ship was a smouldering heap in the middle of a certain evil forest.

"_Ah, did I not tell you?"_

TELL ME WHAT?

"_There is no need to yell. I merely forgot to inform you that the merging of two sentient beings requires time, and apparently, in the time it took for us to become one, your friend Regent Cid, managed to build another ship for your friends of Tantalus."_

Zidane really wished he could see the demon in his head. His glare was being wasted on the dry ground.

How. Long?

"_Six months. Give or take a day or so."_

"SIX MONTHS!"

"Yeah! And you'd better have a damn good reason bud, or we'll pummel you into the ground where you stand!"

Zidane snapped out of his conversation, and turned round...just in time to feel the full impact of a hand cuffing his head.

"OW!"

"GWAH HAH HAH HAH!"

Zidane smirked, looking up at his would-be attacker. Baku clearly hadn't changed in the past half a year. To be honest, the whole crew looked just like he'd left them.

"Hey guys."

Marcus smirked. "Don't you 'hey' us! Where in the two moons have you been?"

"Believe me, if I knew, I'd tell you."

Baku frowned. "You don't know? I didn't hit your head THAT hard."

Zidane shrugged, and quickly changed the subject.

"Just please, PLEASE tell me Dagger hasn't moved on. Please oh please oh please!"

By the final 'please' he was on his knees, praying to his ex-'boss'. The donkey-man burst out laughing.

"Oh don't worry; she's still head over heels for ya. Though if you'd waited any longer you might have had problems. Queens don't stay on the market for long you know."

He started walking back to the airship. "Now come on runt, we'll head to Lindblum. I've got a great idea if you wanna REALLY surprise the girl."

Zidane grinned, quickly getting to his feet and getting in step with the others, before turning to Cinna.

"Hey, what were you doing out here anyway?"

His friend frowned. "You know, it's the weirdest thing. We all woke up today, and...I dunno, we just...well...we KNEW you'd be here. Can't explain it. Strange huh?"

Zidane frowned, Necron's conscious moving slightly in his mind.

"Yeah, strange..."

To be continued


	2. The Calm Before The Storm

For all of you that tuned into Chapter 1, go read it again, cause its gone through an overhaul. Much longer, less mistakes (I hope), and a little more in tune with the story.

And now to my reviewers:

Eika: (laughs) No its not Guardian, but I'm taking a break from G (after several years of focusing on it, I need a break or I'm gonna start hating it) in order to relax. This just happens to be one idea that, at the moment, seems to be challenging enough without driving me nuts, so I'm giving it a go.

FrogStroganoff: Thanks for the compliment. Hopefully I can take this further without ruining the stories.

Lollip0pstick: I love the first paragraph too. Makes you think no?

NeoNaoNeo: Evil Zidane huh? You'll just have to wait and see

* * *

The Calm Before The Storm

"The blue moon looks larger tonight."

Zidane took his eyes off the girl in his arms and looked up.

"Yeah, wonder why?"

Garnet gave a wistful sigh and leaned back even further, feeling Zidane's grasp tighten and smile.

It had been almost a year since Zidane had made his grand return to Alexandria, and as far as she was concerned, life couldn't get much better. The Black Mages and Genomes were adapting to life together at a record pace, Eiko was being spoiled rotten in Lindblum, Steiner and Beatrix had announced their engagement (much to the Knights of Pluto's delight. Their Captain had gone and given them 2 weeks free from training after she said yes) and Quina was barricaded in the Alexandrian kitchens. They hadn't heard from Armarant for a while, but Freya had mentioned spotting him in Burmecia not that long ago, the Dragon Knight not any worse for wear now that Fratley's memory was returning, slowly but surely.

As for Zidane, he never joined Tantalus again, though he did stay in close contact with them, and instead called in a few favours and found himself the owner of a small building in the centre of Alexandria. She'd been hinting that he come and live at the castle for some time now, but he seemed to ignore each and every one of them. Not that he spent much time out of the castle anyway, not with a certain brown haired Queen to keep him occupied.

Gazing up at the moons once again, she whispered a silent prayer in her mind.

'_I wish this could go on forever...'

* * *

_

"_Doesn't it worry you?"_

Zidane denied himself the urge to growl. What now?

"_The moon."_

No. And there's no reason why it should. Now go away and let me enjoy tonight. This is Garnet and Zidane time. We don't need a chaperone.

"_Heh"_ Necron whispered. _"Fine. Enjoy it while it lasts..."_

I would if you'd stop adding little quirks like that Zidane hissed back. Were you born this moody? Or was it a time thing?

Necron didn't answer, and Zidane sighed. Although he knew he owed the ex-god his life, the guardian of the crystal had worn out his welcome fast. It had a habit of adding its own sarcastic comments or snide remarks after every sentence Zidane heard. He'd gotten more than one odd look in the early days, when his patience had snapped and he'd started yelling at nothing in the middle of the street. That was pretty much how the others had found out about his 'deal with death'. Thankfully, none of them seemed to care too much.

"Are you okay?"

Zidane looked down at the girl, no...Young woman in his arms, and smiled.

"Yeah, sorry, just having an argument with big, bad and blue."

Garnet gave a mock glare.

"You're ignoring me to talk to him?"

Zidane grinned.

"You're right, how could I! I need to be punished."

Garnet pulled herself up, curling arms around his shoulders and kissing the genome deeply. She was more than happy to oblige.

* * *

In the sky, the blue moon hung by its red partner, giving away no indication of the threat it would bring. Every night it seemed to grow in size, and before long, it dwarfed its red twin, impossible for anyone to ignore. Still, nobody gave too much notice to the increased mass.

It wasn't until the Queen of Alexandria received an urgent message from Treno from Dr. Tot, asking for Garnet and Zidane to meet him as soon as possible, that anyone began to worry.

* * *

"It's a disaster!" Dr. Tot shouted, frantically grasping at papers on the table, only to spread more on the floor. "It's all over!"

"What's all over?" Garnet asked, nerves fluttering. She'd never seen her old teacher so...distressed.

"The world my Queen! The world!" Tot wailed, finally managing to get a firm hold on some documents, and spreading them out in front of the two.

"Uh, what are we looking at here doc" Zidane muttered, scratching his head. It looked a little like a map of the stars, but there was so many calculations and lines scribbled over them that he couldn't quite tell anymore.

Tot pointed at a circular shape on the map. "This! This is the blue moon of Gaia. It's out of its usual orbit!"

"What's your point?" Zidane asked

Garnet frowned, catching on faster than Zidane.

"Is this why it's getting bigger?"

Tot shook his head. "No my queen. It's not getting bigger, it's coming **closer**. And it's not stopping."

"Um, doc" Zidane began. "Don't get me wrong, but why is this 'the end of the world?'"

"Because Zidane!" Tot yelled, still in a panic. "If it does not stop, it will collide with Gaia! Do you know what that would do to the planet?"

Zidane paled. He had a fair idea.

"_I told you to worry."_

"What can we do?" Garnet asked, the implications sinking in.

Dr. Tot shrugged, trying to calm down, though his small figure was still shaking.

"I don't know. That's why I asked you here."

"What do you expect us to do?" Zidane asked. "What chance have we got of coming up with something you haven't?"

"Because, now that the moon has started to get closer" Dr. Tot explained, managing to calm down now he was in his element. "I have been able to study the surface in greater detail. The blue moon has always interested astronomers as history records show that it suddenly appeared in its current orbit from out of nowhere only a few hundred years ago. After several examinations through my telescope, I have managed to secure clear sightings of decimated habitat of both natural and unnatural origins, created from blue inorganic material. The most fascinating part of this however, is that the destruction looks to have been caused recently."

Zidane just scratched his head and looked sheepish.

"Um...I followed about half of that. What?"

Garnet however, just gasped.

"Dr. Tot, are you saying that-"

"Yes my Queen. All evidence points to it."

Zidane growled.

"Points to what!"

"_You still don't get it?"_ Necron muttered.

Get what? Spit it out blue!

"Zidane, the blue moon" Garnet began, not realising Necron had begun to answer at the same time. "It's-"

"_It's Terra."_

To be continued . . .


	3. Live and Let Die

Okay, you might have noticed that this fanfic has moved categories after this chapter. From this point on, expect complete and utter bastardisation of certain Final Fantasy games. Especially 7, considering that, although it had one of the most impressive stories **ever**, it was every theory buff's dream and left tons unanswered. And it's been a while since I've played, so please refrain from sending me rants about how much I've gotten wrong, I'm bluffing my way through this as I go. I'm crossing my fingers that I can pull of 8 with a little more style, and then maybe I'll be able to astonish everyone with my 10 skill.

Anyway, enjoy!

Eika: (laughs) Oh no, this is gonna be **very** different from Inheritance. Hopefully better.

Ravyn Crescent: Sorry Ravyn, but I figured since you have me on Author Alert you'd find out pretty quick

Nitpicker: Point, you're right, they couldn't. Still, I'm one of those people who wholeheartedly live in denial and think the loveable hat wearing mages are still alive and well. Or at least have even more little descendants. Though either way, they're gonna count for squat in this story.

* * *

Live and Let Die

Zidane had had bad days, but this was REALLY taking the cake.

"So let me get this straight" he muttered. "Terra, my 'home' planet, though I use that phrase _very_ loosely, is currently heading for a collision course for the planet."

Dr. Tot nodded. "If we don't figure out how to stop it, the devastation will be catastrophic."

Zidane groaned. "Dammit, it's been shattered to pieces and its STILL being a nuisance? What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

Garnet however, seemed to be lost in thought, which her ex-teacher quickly picked up on.

"You have an idea my Queen?"

The young Queen snapped out of her daze, and gave a sheepish smile.

"Well, no, but..."

She trailed off and turned to Zidane.

"We might know someone who does."

"_And they turn to pure insanity to save them" _Necron whispered, the air of a smirk in his voice.

Zidane shut him out and glared at the Queen.

"Do I HAVE to ask him?"

"Have you got any other ideas?"

"No..."

"Then it can't hurt to ask."

Dr. Tot just looked confused at the banter between the two, not being one of the few in the loop over Necron's current habitat.

At his love's desperate but hopeful smile, Zidane caved.

/Okay blue, how did you know about this and how do we stop it/

But Necron was in no mood to be helpful.

"_Why should I tell you? It's rather amusing to watch you scratch your mortal heads, trying to find an option that is beyond you."_

/Listen you overrated ice cube/ Zidane hissed. /I die, you die. And last I checked, you claimed that wasn't what you wanted, so spill/

Necron laughed. _"Believe me Zidane, death is not something you will have to worry about for quite some time, possibly never."_

/What the hell is **that** supposed to-/

"_Nevertheless, I'm not in the mood to hear to whine on and on for the next several weeks, so I'll be merciful. It's all linked to the crystal"_

Zidane blinked.

"The crystal?"

Tot and Garnet frowned, speaking in unison.

"What about the crystal?"

"_Memories Zidane" _Necron replied. _"The crystal acted as both a seal for memories and a summoning tool for yours truly. Therefore, I was given access to all memory. Your home planet has currently begun what is known, as 'plan B'."_

/Plan...B/

"_Yes."_

/And Plan B would be/

"_Now, where would the fun be if I told you everything?" _Necron answered.

/You son of a-/

"_Now now, don't be hasty" _Necron smirked. _"There are other ways to get information about Terra you know."_

With that, Necron shut himself off from Zidane's mind, refusing to reply to his hosts screams. Giving up, the genome snapped back into reality, to face the worried looks of teacher and student. He sighed, running a hand through his hair before giving them a tired grin.

"Anyone up for a trip to Oeilvert?"

* * *

"Are you **certain** you can't get Necron to tell us himself?"

"Believe me Rusty, I've **tried**. He's been refusing to answer me all week. I swear he's enjoying this. And Mikoto is as confused as we are. Our only other option is to go ask the big talking masks."

"He is right Steiner" Freya added, staring up at the moon, now so large the sun couldn't hide its size in the day. "If we wait any longer even the record of Terra may be incapable of helping. Dr. Tot says it will hit in less than a week."

Zidane grimaced as the three of them hesitated on the steps of Oeilvert. He really didn't like this place. Getting repeatedly killed by a monster that stole you face got old very fast. Thankfully, once informed of the situation, he'd been able to rope Steiner and Freya into 'escorting' him, since Garnet would be lucky to survive for five minutes in the magic-proof structure.

Freya tore her eyes off the gleaming blue eyesore and headed up the steps.

"Well, let's go. The sooner we enter, the sooner we can leave."

* * *

To the trio's dismay, the impending threat of Terra seemed to have made the monsters even more bloodthirsty, and almost every step seemed to be followed by an attack.

"What's gotten into them" Zidane growled, as Steiner administered his twelfth high potion since they'd entered. "They were practically tame the last time we were here."

"Perhaps they can sense impending destruction" Freya mused. "Epitaph's cannot leave here as they are, but perhaps they can with a stolen face. They must want to escape to somewhere safe."

"Except nowhere on this planet will be safe soon" Steiner added, as they finally reached the doorway to the oracles.

"_I advise that you go in alone."_

"Yah!"

Both Steiner and Freya tensed as Zidane jumped into the air, only relaxing when he began screaming.

"Now you choose to talk to me? **NOW**?"

"_The epitaphs will not stop attacking just because you are listening to the masks," _Necron continued, completely ignoring Zidane's rant. _"They will knock down the door if they have to. Your friends should stand guard."_

Zidane resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall.

"Okay, guys?"

"Yes?"

"Zidane?"

Zidane sighed. "Necron says I should go in alone, while you two stand guard in case anything decides to attack us while our backs are turned."

Steiner frowned. "As much as I hate to agree with that monster, it does seem logical."

Freya nodded.

"If you need help just yell."

Zidane grinned at his old friend before opening the door.

"Oh don't worry about that. I will."

* * *

Just like the first time Zidane had visited this shrine, the small pedestal came to life the second he set foot on it, and from the wall, faces began to flow out, gazing down at the genome.

"Our civilisation...gone."

"The...project...failure...due to."

"Flora and Fauna are destroyed."

"Plan B...ation...authorised."

"Jenova to commence in 144 hours."

"Wait, what?" Zidane asked. "What's gonna commence in how many hours?"

"_Hush" _Necron hissed. _"If you want to save Gaia, then listen!"_

Zidane calmed down as the masks continued.

"This is our last hope."

"We will continue to record here."

"Plan...coordinates selected from database."

"Modification can be made from the original control centre."

"No matter what" the final face added. "Our history will not die."

* * *

The pedestal was lowered, leaving a silent, and thoroughly confused Zidane, who dropped to his knees, bashing the pedestal.

"That doesn't help at all!" he yelled. "How do you stop it? How do you stop this...Jenova thing. What the hell is 'Jenova' anyway?"

"_Jenova is a living organism made from the extraction of Terra's soul" _Necron replied. _Her mission is to infect all living organisms on a planet with her own energy pattern in order to replace the life force of the enemy planet. However, she was still experimental. She caused far too much damage on impact and her chances of succeeding without being destroyed beforehand were pathetic compared to the 'Angel' project. She was to be considered a last resort, which, considering your brother destroyed most that project, is all that is left. And you **can't** stop her."_

"And you!" Zidane yelled, not bothering to scream via his mind. "You worthless...why didn't you just tell me this was a waste of time? If it can't be stopped why are we here!"

Necron sighed, waiting for the genome's tirade to end. _"Suddenly I understand so many memories. You truly are a fool."_

"Excuse me!"

"_Jenova cannot be stopped. Wherever the coordinates lead her, she will fall."_

His host growled.

/And this helps us HOW/

"_Will you be quiet and allow me to continue?"_

Zidane muttered something under his breath, but he kept silent.

"_As I was saying, it will hit wherever her coordinates tell her too. Coordinates that can be changed from the control centre on Terra."_

Zidane blinked, realisation dawning as Necron finished.

"_Change the coordinates, and Jenova will not hit."_

/But...change them to what/ Zidane asked.

"_Does it matter?" _Necron replied. _"However..."_

/However/ Zidane asked.

"_Jenova was initiated from this room by these computers," _Necron continued. "_Most likely after confirming the Angel projects failure. They can only be changed from the control room on Terra, and by one of that planet. In short, you are the only one who can change them, and it will have to be done soon, or Terra will be too far into this planets gravitational pull to turn back, regardless of any change."_

"Oh great" Zidane muttered. /And you don't know how I can get there/

"_Oh that's simple" _Necron replied. "_Last I checked, the Shimmering Island was still functioning."_

/It is? But I thought it got trashed/

"_No, the gateway still functions perfectly well."_

/So what's the problem/

"_The Shimmering Island's coordinates for transport are the same as the coordinates Jenova uses. If you change them, trying to go back through will send you to wherever Jenova is heading. And where ever that is does not have a gate, and therefore, the gateway will not work."_

Zidane's eyes widened. /Wait, so I.../

"_If you go Zidane" _Necron finished. _"You will not be able to return..."_

/That can't be true.../

"_Why do you think I insisted you come here?" _Necron added. _"You would never have believed me if I had told you."_

But Zidane didn't answer, and merely stared at the floor.

* * *

Freya and Steiner tensed as Zidane walked through, head down.

"Are you okay?" Freya asked. "I heard you yelling, but it sounded more like anger than anything."

"I'm fine" Zidane whispered, then sighed.

"I found out a way to stop Terra."

His companions lit up, the unasked question of 'how' perched on their lips.

Zidane however, didn't seem to be celebrating.

"Let's get everyone together. I'll tell you then."

* * *

To Zidane's surprise, it hadn't been too hard to contact everyone to meet up. Armarant had already shown up in Alexandria, hearing rumours that his least favourite 'monkey' knew what was going on. And Eiko, after hearing about Zidane's planned visit to Oeilvert, had managed to bribe her foster parents into coming along, Tantalus in close pursuit. All they needed to do was pick up Mikoto, who demanded that the genomes knew what would happen to Terra.

At no point did he intend to tell his friends the downside. It was likely that they would tell him to forget about it, that there was another way.

But in his gut, he knew this was the only option. Necron was many things, but a liar was not one of them. The recent unnecessary trip to Oeilvert was proof of that.

As expected, his friends were thrilled at what seemed an easy solution, and were already making plans on how to celebrate upon Zidane's 'return'. Rumour had it that Quina had emptied out every bakery in Alexandria and was already cooking up a storm.

Eventually, it had been too much for him, and he'd stepped out onto a balcony. In his hands he fingered a white envelope, a letter he'd written on the trip back from Oeilvert already inside. He'd need to leave it somewhere he was certain Garnet wouldn't find it until it was too late. Amazingly, Necron had been quiet since Oeilvert, and hadn't uttered a single quip as he'd written it.

Sighing, he gazed up at the falling planet, and scowled.

"I hate you. I really, **really** hate you."

"Hope you're not directing that at me."

Zidane blinked, and turned as Baku joined him on the balcony. His ex-boss gave him a smirk before looking up at the blue planet.

"Kid, I'm a thief. Always have been and always will be. And I know that nothing in life is ever simple. Especially not something like this, so spill. What you keeping back?"

He turned to an awed smile on the blonde teen.

"How do you always know when I'm hiding something?" Zidane asked. "I used to be so good at keeping things from you."

Baku laughed. "Kid, you're good, but you're not that good. Every time something starts to bother you, you start avoiding people. Any time an attention seeking wannabe like you needs to 'get some fresh air' when surrounded by friends and good news, I start to worry."

Zidane laughed with him, before looking back at the sky.

"Think anyone else suspects?"

"Well" Baku began. "The greenie that needs a haircut doesn't seem too happy, and the boys can read you like a book, but other than that...they seem pretty content."

Zidane nodded, and held up the letter.

"Boss, everything I kept from you is in this letter. I need Garnet to get it, but not before I've been to Terra and done what I need to do."

Baku nodded. "Meaning you're not planning on coming back."

Zidane turned round and leaned against the railing.

"It isn't likely."

"And you don't think they'll let you go if you tell em the truth?"

"Boss, I **know** they won't."

The blonde sighed. "At least this way I'll get to see Garnet smiling till the very end."

A hand landed on his shoulder as the letter was plucked from his hand. He looked up to see a small smile on the face of the closest thing he had to a father.

"Don't worry kid" Baku replied, squeezing Zidane's shoulder slightly. "I'll make sure she gets it."

* * *

"Think there'll still be monsters up there?" Eiko asked, as the Hilde Garde circled the island once again. Cid had insisted on everyone taking his newest achievement for the mission, and since it was several times larger than any ship Alexandria had in their possession, nobody was really complaining.

"It is possible" Freya added. "Perhaps one of us should come along with you."

But Zidane shook his head. "Don't worry guys, I'll be fine."

"_Are you sure you wouldn't appreciate the company?" _Necron murmured.

/This is not the time Necron/ Zidane hissed.

"Well, this is as close as we'll get" Cid explained, walking towards them. "Any closer and the Hilde Garde might end up following you."

Zidane nodded. "This is close enough. Thanks Cid."

He walked to the edge of the railing, and was joined by Garnet.

"Are you sure you don't want any of us to come?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about me."

Garnet smiled, and kissed him deeply. Zidane happily returned the favour, silently begging for Terra to suddenly disappear, so that this wouldn't be his last kiss.

But miracles don't happen without good reason, and the two soon parted, sooner than Zidane would have liked. But to Garnet, this wasn't a goodbye.

"Come home safe" she whispered, still in his arms.

Zidane didn't trust himself to speak, and instead just held her tightly, before releasing her from the hold.

He jumped to the railing, and took one final look at what he was leaving behind. Eiko was happily waving goodbye with her parents, and Freya was nodding in confidence. Steiner and Beatrix were offering words of encouragement, and Quina was speaking an hundred words a minute, telling him of all the foods that would be waiting for him. Mikoto hadn't come, but he hoped the genomes, and the descendants of the Black Mages would thrive. Only Armarant and Tantalus stood silent. Ruby looked about ready to cry.

"Remember, once I'm in, head for Treno" Zidane told them. "If anyone can tell if I'm successful, it's Tot. And...If things don't go to plan...I just want you to know that you made life worth living."

He gave one final nod, and jumped into the glowing portal, his own tears beginning to shed.

"_For what it's worth...I'm sorry."

* * *

_

As soon as Zidane was out of sight, the Hilde Garde headed straight for Treno, where Dr. Tot's home was bombarded with worried allies. All eyes turned to the sky, hoping, praying that the control room Necron and the records had told them about was still in one piece. That monsters were few and far between on the blue planet.

And some just prayed that Zidane would be okay.

"I don't believe it!" Dr. Tot yelled, staring through his telescope. At the sound of his voice, Garnet bolted to his side, finally stopping her worried pacing.

"What?" she asked desperately. "What's happening?"

"He...he did it!" Dr. Tot shouted. "All my statistics confirm it. Terra is moving _away_ from the planet!"

Everyone began to cheer.

"The monkey did it!" Steiner yelled. "Guess even he couldn't mess this up."

Garnet laughed. "You never doubted him for a minute Steiner, stop pretending."

She turned to Cid. "Let's go uncle. We need to pick him up."

Cid nodded as someone cleared his throat.

"Um...actually...that won't be necessary..."

Everyone stopped talking as Baku walked over, an envelope in his hand. The rest of Tantalus looked downcast, and Garnet felt a twinge of fear in her heart.

"Baku...what are you talking about?"

Baku sighed. "Last night, the kid asked me to give you this, after you'd confirmed Terra wasn't a threat any more. He also...pretty much told me that going to pick him up would be likely."

The room was filled with silent, pale faces as Garnet took the letter from Baku, opened and read it with shaking hands, and burst in into tears.

* * *

On top of a ruined building, Zidane stared at the blue and green mass that was slowly becoming smaller and smaller. His face was still wet from tears.

/Guess Boss will have given Garnet the letter by now huh/ he asked.

"_Most likely."_

/Any idea where we're headed/

"_Yes. But did you have to just bash in a number? You'll regret that later on."_

/Hey, does it really matter? Its gonna hit somewhere far, **far** away from Gaia right/

"_Yes."_

/Any idea when and where it'll hit/

"_...Yes..."_

Zidane sighed. /So what aren't you telling me/

"_The planet will hit another inhabited planet in about 500 years."_

/500 years? Wait...inhabited/

"_You really should have been more careful with your punching of numbers."_

Zidane just groaned.

/Great. I've saved one planet and doomed another. And I wont even be able to try and make it up to them/

"_Why not?"_

/Uh, Necron? Mainly cause I don't expect to be _alive_ in 500 years. Damn, I'll be lucky to last another month, unless you thought to bring some food and water up here/

"_Ah, of course, I never did tell you did I?"_

Zidane **really** didn't like that sentence.

/Tell me what/

"_Well, like I said, my survival is important to me. A mortal's lifespan is a mere heartbeat in the grander scheme of things. Didn't Garland once tell you that you 'could have been immortal?'"_

Zidane's eyes widened.

"What did you-"

"_It was a little like pushing a button. A little nudge and you stopped ageing. You most likely would have noticed in a few years. Either way, you may desire food, but you no longer need it for survival."_

/But this is impossible/ Zidane yelled. /I died HOW many times in Oeilvert/

"_Yes, unfortunately Kuja dumped you on Gaia before the process could be completed. You can be killed in battle, or you could try to take your own life."_

The blonde's teeth gritted.

/But you know I wont, don't you/ he hissed. /Not when I'm leaving people in danger/

"_That did occur to me, yes" _Necron replied. _"Of course, the fact that we **are** sharing a body will make sure of it."_

/What/

"_Did you **really** think I would agree to inhabiting your body if I couldn't stop you from killing yourself? If I really wanted to, I could take control of you right now, and leave you in this darkness."_

/So why don't you/ Zidane muttered. /That 'darkness' has to be better than living on a dead planet for 500 years. Haven't even seen a monster since I came here.../

"_Because it is not time. And you do not need to be awake for this."_

/Come again/

"_It might need some repairs, but I do believe Garland was kept in a stasis pod while his equipment searched for the most suitable planet to take over. Why don't you use it?"_

Zidane sighed as he stood up.

/Any more secrets or handy little nit bits you'd like to share with the group/

"_Secrets, yes. One's I'd like to share? No. Not yet at least."_

As Zidane walked towards the destroyed city of Bran Bal, beneath his feet, in the centre of the planet, far too deep for him to do anything about, Plan B, Jenova, waited for its birth.


	4. Braving The Unknown

Amazing. I started writing this...what? The end of my First Year of University? Its now the beginning of second semester **Third** Year. And then, the day I wake up and go "Okay, enough is enough, you've got January free, finish the damn thing Luki", I turn on MSN, and what do I find?  
A review alert. For Circle of Life.

It was fate. End of story.

Oh, and sorry its so short considering how long I've made you all wait, but I swear, this is as much as I could get out in one sitting. I haven't written anything that hasn't been a report or an essay on something in so long it takes time to get back into the swing of things.

Anyway, given that this portion of the story happens in the past of FF7 world, which has never been completely explained, I'm taking information from Wikipedia and adding and my own characters in order to accurately mesh my world and the real world as well as I can.

Enjoy

* * *

Chapter 4 - Braving The Unknown

It was a strange feeling, Zidane felt, to be asleep and awake at the same time. He knew time was passing, on some level he could feel it slip by, but it was like watching a play. You could be enraptured, but you were always on the outside looking in.

The stasis pod had given him a bad feeling the moment he'd laid eyes on it. It was made from both the bright crystal of Terra and the darker metals that reminded him of his first visit. For a while, he'd ignored the voice in his head and stayed far, far away from the thing, allowing time to pass him by in reality. Mostly looking for a way to stop 'Jenova', although nothing came up throughout the months. Mikoto and the others hadn't been helpful before he'd left either on its whereabouts. They'd been content to let it happen, and had no reason to help him stop it.

But he soon realised that life without living would drive him insane long before they reached the expected planet. There was no food, but he was never very hungry. No oxygen, but he never suffocated. There was no rising or setting of a sun, leaving no light but that which seemed to glow from the crystals themselves, making it impossible to decide when it was day or night.

It took him six months before he dragged himself back over to the pod and fixed it with Necron's guidance. He hadn't heard from the blue demon since. He didn't miss him. After centuries letting the endless nothingness go by, it was almost possible to forget that the deal with the devil had ever happened, and that his whole predicament was just a rather hideous dream.

So strong was this illusion, that when the voice echoed through his head for the first time in 500 years, he ignored it as a hallucination. It continued to grow louder and louder, and Zidane drove himself deeper into his subconscious.

Eventually though, he could take it no longer, and the voice hit his mind in full comprehension.

"_We're here…"_

The shock forced him to smash the door to the pod, leaving him coughing on the floor, and staring at destruction

* * *

In hindsight, he should have realised that arriving via a planet crashing into another planet wouldn't be the kindest landing in the world. Over the centuries, Terra's bulk had ripped away, dropping its size tremendously. There was no trace of Bran Bal or any other Terran structure in the crater. But it was obvious that this new planet would never fully recover from the scar. Trapped in the bowls of the giant crater, Zidane began his climb outwards, and grudgingly nudged at the mind that had awoken him. 

/I don't suppose you're willing to tell me the name of wherever this is/ he muttered.

"_I don't believe it has one_" Necron replied. "_Or at the very least, not one all races have been able to agree upon. However, despite your extra appendage, you should fit in just find. This planet is inhabited by humanoids not dissimilar to Gaians._"

Well, that was one thing Zidane could place on the bright side. Though as he started climbing upwards, he couldn't help but wonder at the odds of finding another planet filled with similar beings.

"_It's hardly surprising_" Necron answered once asked. "_Terra has been feeding off planets that had the maximum potential for taking on her race. The bipedal form is actually rather common_."

Zidane's eyes flinched as he began to see light, and the cold air blew against him.

/So how can we keep Jenova from waking up?/

"_It's a little late for that_" Necron answered. "_She activated about a month ago."_

/WHAT!/

"_I tried to wake you. Surely you noticed the amount of fauna growing in these tunnels?_"

He had, but it hadn't quite registered what it would mean.

/You couldn't have tried harder?/ Zidane mumbled in frustration.

"_Its not my fault you are a heavy sleeper_."

The icy went whipped around Zidane as he finally reached the top of the crater…to see nothing but snow. His arms wrapped around his body instinctively, though the cold barely seemed to bother his bare skin.

/I take it you have something to do with that?/ he asked. Necron never answered, apparently considering it pointless to answer something when he already knew the answer.

Zidane sighed, and stared at the whiteness. He doubted that he could navigate with an alien sky, but the wind was too harsh to see very far in any direction. Nevertheless, he couldn't very well stay here. Well, given all the adjustments Necron seemed to like making to his body, he probably could. But he'd spent longer along than he dared to think. He wanted to find some form of life. He was a social creature, he didn't DO solitude.

"Oh well" he sighed. "When in doubt, go in a straight line till you hit water."

And with that, he began his trudge through knee high snow.

* * *

He didn't dare guess at how long he'd been trundling along. The storm was vicious enough to guarantee that he never went in a straight line for long. He couldn't even be entirely certain that he hadn't turned around completely at some point. 

But on the plus side, he'd come up with a new way to pass the time. Beating the crap out of the monsters that seemed to hunt him down with a 100 success rate.

Thankfully, not only had the stasis pod kept the Ultima Weapon in top shape, his slumber hadn't seemed to damage his skills. Admittedly, he was a little rusty, but after one lucky creature took a chunk of his arm, he'd quickly picked it up again to rip the carcass to oblivion.

Turned out monster carcasses made great direction posts.

The fighting at least kept his mind off of other things. Like accepting that everyone and everything that he had ever known was dead and gone. In this weather, is was so easy to pretend he had just gotten lost somewhere in the mountains of Ice Cave or Esto Gaza. That he was still on Gaia, that Da…That Garnet was still waiting for him, not buried in the ground half a millennia away.

He had no idea if the amount of monsters was natural for the region, but several of them had borne resemblance to creatures he had seen on Terra, and he doubted that was coincidence.

"_Jenova has clearly begun her work_" Necron mused. "_It would be best if we could find a settlement nearby to learn what you have missed._"

"I am aware of that King Blue" Zidane snapped, yelling it at the sky solely out of irritation. "Might be easier if you could tell me where to go!"

Necron stayed silent, and he was positive it was solely to torment him. Again.

He muttered something intelligible, and began to continue on…only to stop in his tracks.

How something had managed to sneak up on him in this weather, he could only guess. But the serrated edge of a rather vicious spear was millimetres from his throat, the owner hidden in the blizzard.

Slowly, with catlike grace, a hand slid down the spear, slowly followed by its owner's body. By his side, a large, cat-like creature with red fur stood baring his teeth.

The enemy was wrapped up for the weather, giving nothing a scrap of his face away. Angry green eyes glared at him through the gap. When the stranger was finally in view, Zidane realised he was walking above the snow, rather than through it.

'_Magic user_' he mind decided, when the stranger spoke.

"You" he began. "You are one of hers."

Zidane swallowed.

"Um…no?"

The eyes narrowed, and the cat began circling Zidane's half hidden body.

"You walk through this weather with no protective clothing. You kill those infected monsters with ease, and you have that physical abnormality. You must belong to that demon."

"Hey!" Zidane snapped, anger getting the best of common sense. "What abnormality?"

"_I think he means your tail_" Necron supplied.

\Oh…right/

"_And this demon…I believe you have found someone who can tell you of Jenova."_

/Great. Now I just need to convince him that I'm here to stop her, not join her. How in the two moons am I supposed to do that?/

Taking a deep breath, he raised his arms slowly, never breaking eye contact with the man.

"I swear" he began. "I am not a demon, nor am I in league with any."

The man stayed silent, but was clearly listening.

"I came to this planet to stop a creature called Jenova from destroying it."

The man lunged, the spear coming close enough to Zidane's throat to draw blood.

"Why should I believe you?" he yelled. "How do I not know that that body's true soul has gone and replaced with that things underling?"

'_This is either genius or the stupidest thing I will ever say'_ Zidane inwardly moaned.

"Look into my eyes" he started, resisting the urge to roll said appendages at the corniness of what he was saying. "Are these really the eyes of a demon? I was born this way, and I don't mean you, or anyone but Jenova harm."

The two remained still for what seemed like another eternity, but Zidane noticed, for a few moments, the man's eyes seemed to glaze over.

When they finally came back to coherency, he removed the spear from Zidane's neck, and offered his hand.

"Your eyes are sincere, and the Lifestream does not fear you. I am Shanen, and my friend is Cosmo. Come with us."

* * *

To be continued . . . 


End file.
